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Stuck choosing between my top 3 picks UCSF, UPenn, and Johns Hopkins for a PhD in Cellular/Molecular/Developmental Biology (varies by school/program). From what I've seen, heard, and read, all three schools have amazing programs, I think my decision will more likely come down to quality of life in those three places.
San Francisco - I'm from the Bay Area, so family is nearby, easiest move and probably safest of the three cities. BUT expensive af and I don't get the experience of moving to a new place.
Philadelphia - Had great interviews with faculty members there, but didn't think the grad students I met were as outgoing or fun. Cheaper than SF for sure, but more expensive than Baltimore. Safer than Baltimore, but still more crime than SF.
Baltimore - I really loved the city and students that I met here. In terms of cost-of-living, in Baltimore you get the most for what you pay. However, everyone keeps warning me about the crime rate in the city.
Any advice is welcome, especially from current students at any of these schools or students who considered these places.

Hello everyone,
I really loved both of these schools when I visited and it feels impossible to decide between them. I'm laying out some logistical things here and would welcome any insights that might help me decide.
UCSF
Pros:
- Four faculty that are close research fits and many more doing research that I am less experienced with but find fascinating
- Great grad students and culture - everyone seems happy and taken care of
- Excellent facilities
- Seems like a truly collaborative environment
Cons:
- I'm moving with a partner and a big dog so living in SF is probably not feasible, I would most likely have to commute from Oakland or Berkeley
- No undergrads (could also be a pro)
Berkeley
Pros:
- One faculty that is a leader in my research field, another that is a good match for my current interests, many more that are interesting (similar to UCSF in this regard)
- The "good match" is someone that I have met on several occasions and I really like, I am confident that I could join their lab if I wanted to and would be happy there
- Much better subsidized housing situation
- Easy commute by bike even if we don't move into grad housing
Cons:
- The campus is HUGE and PI that I have met with before is in a building that might make it hard to work collaboratively, maybe this isn't an issue but I'm not sure how much people see each other across campus
- The program is spread over so many departments it seems like the cohorts might not be very tight-knit
- A lot of undergrads and tourists everywhere
- Some of the other labs I'm interested in are much larger than I've ever worked in before, not sure if it's an issue for me
There are also many strengths that these two schools share such as career development services, opportunities for mentorship and science outreach, and the fact that I left both visits feeling very excited about the research opportunities and environment. Their stipends are similar - UCSF is a little higher but Berkeley has the housing and subsidized transportation perks that probably outweigh the difference.
Thanks for reading this and for any insights you can offer!

Stuck choosing between my top 3 picks UCSF, UPenn, and Johns Hopkins for a PhD in Cellular/Molecular/Developmental Biology (varies by school/program). From what I've seen, heard, and read, all three schools have amazing programs, I think my decision will more likely come down to quality of life in those three places. My research interests are super broad so I'm not particularly worried about labs, I'm sure I will find PIs and labs at each program that I will love to work with.
San Francisco - I'm from the Bay Area, so family is nearby, easiest move and probably safest of the three cities. BUT expensive af and I don't get the experience of moving to a new place.
Philadelphia - Had great interviews with faculty members there, but didn't think the grad students I met were as outgoing or fun. Cheaper than SF for sure, but more expensive than Baltimore. Safer than Baltimore, but still more crime than SF.
Baltimore - I really loved the city and students that I met here. In terms of cost-of-living, in Baltimore you get the most for what you pay. However, everyone keeps warning me about the crime rate in the city.
Any advice is welcome, especially from current students at any of these schools or students who considered these places.

Hi everyone,
I am mostly looking at four programs that accepted me in Computational Biology: Berkeley, UCSF, UChicago, Columbia
Never studied or interned at any of them before so I am hoping to know more about them outside the website~
I am most likely in academia, but I wonder for Computational Biology in general, which school might be a best fit, and what to avoid.
In general as far as I know:
Berkeley
great for bio and cs. young. in Bay.
UCSF
top biomed. expensive but in Bay. less known in pan-science than biomed.
Columbia
young. great science. great city. not sure about biomed in general.
UChicago
great faculties and focus on edu. not sure about its biology within the country though.
Opinions? Thank you!

I'm debating between accepting UCSF (Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics) or UW (Pharmaceutics), both PhD programs. Both seem excellent, but the differences as I see them:
PSPG is part of the broader Quantitative Biosciences Consortium (QBC) at UCSF, so has more faculty and incorporates genomics along with traditional pharmacokinetics (PK) research. There is only one year of coursework, which seems rushed to me. The current students and other interviewees were amazing. San Francisco is cool, but expensive.
UW does not have an emphasis on genomics, so I would have to take classes outside my home department if I wanted this skill. I've emailed Genome Sciences at UW to see if they offer graduate certificates or coursework to outside department students; waiting to hear back. UW has three years of coursework that includes advanced PK coursework, and space for 5 electives (hence my email to Genome Sciences). I currently live in Seattle, so this would be a pretty low-cost transition. The department is about half the size of UCSF, and has more of a family feel between faculty members.
Basically:
I want to live in a cool city (both satisfy)
I want to work with excellent faculty (both satisfy)
I want to have a good foundation in Pharmacokinetics (UW seems to satisfy better, but maybe coursework isn't everything?)
I want to expose myself to and incorporate genomics into my research (UCSF seems much better in this regard, but maybe I could do coursework at UW and then post-doc at UCSF?)
I want to be around cool people (UCSF had a comfier vibe to me)
I want to be prepared for either industry or academia (both satisfy)
Any guidance much appreciated

Hi All! As someone who currently has an interview at a Bay area PhD program and is waiting to hear from another, I was wondering how realistic it is to live in SF on a $36,000-37,000/yr stipend? I know it can be done, but how many sacrifices do you have to make to get by in a city where the housing prices are so high? Are you living comfortably or living in a basement with 10 roommates? Would appreciate any advice current graduate students could give!! Thank you in advance!!

I have two weeks to decide between NYU or UCSF for a neuroscience PhD -- please drop me a line if you have any insight into the quality of either of these programs or what life is like as a broke student in either of these expensive cities!
Thanks so much... any help incredibly appreciated!